Pakistan, Bangladesh resume FOC talks after 15-year Hiatus

Pakistan and Bangladesh resumed foreign secretary-level talks — Foreign Office Consultation (FOC)— in Dhaka on Thursday, marking the first such diplomatic engagement in 15 years as both nations look to reset bilateral ties.

The FOC talks began around 10 am at the State Guest House Padma, with Bangladesh’s Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin and Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch were heading their respective delegations.

This renewed diplomatic outreach follows the fall of the Awami League government in Bangladesh after a mass uprising on August 5 last year, setting the stage for fresh efforts to normalise relations between Dhaka and Islamabad.

Following the FOC, Secretary Baloch is scheduled to meet with Bangladesh’s interim government chief Muhammad Yusun and Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain.

She will also attend a roundtable with local think tanks and members of the Pakistani diaspora in Dhaka later in the evening.

The consultation comes ahead of the expected visit of Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar to Dhaka on April 27–28 — the first such high-level visit in over a decade.

Efforts to mend relations have been quietly progressing since Muhammad Yunus and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held two informal meetings last year — one on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York in September, and another at the D-8 summit in Cairo in December.

Since then, Bangladesh has eased visa restrictions for Pakistani citizens and launched direct shipping links. Pakistan, in turn, has expressed interest in cultural exchanges and boosting cooperation in trade, tourism, and investment.

“Pakistan sees potential to increase exports to Bangladesh, especially if products remain price competitive,” said Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to Pakistan, Iqbal Hussain Khan, who is in Dhaka for the meeting. Key export interests include cotton, sugar, rice, and wheat.

In the 2023–24 fiscal year, Bangladesh exported goods worth $61.98 million to Pakistan while importing $627.8 million in return.

Khan added that Pakistan could serve as a transit hub for Bangladeshi imports from Afghanistan and Iran if logistics costs are kept low. Talks are also ongoing to establish direct air connectivity, which is expected to enhance people-to-people ties and promote tourism.

The last FOC, held in 2010, addressed sensitive topics such as Pakistan’s formal apology for 1971 war atrocities, war reparations, the repatriation of stranded Pakistanis, the division of pre-1971 assets, and the reimbursement of foreign aid given during the 1970 cyclone.

Foreign policy experts stress that while current dialogue is encouraging, addressing unresolved historical issues will be key to truly deepening Bangladesh-Pakistan relations.